ROMAN SALZMANN, ECONOMIC JOURNALIST AND COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANT, TALKS TO PETER RAPP AND MARIANNE RAPP OHMANN.


Based in Wil in Switzerland, Rapp Auctions is an auction house specialising in stamps and coins. It has positioned itself as a global leader and is set to conclude its 40th year of business very shortly. The past year has been strikingly successful, similarly to those that preceded it. Consequently, this seems the right time and a good opportunity to take stock of the situation and look to the future.

Roman Salzmann (RS): The anniversary year «40 years of Rapp Auctions» is drawing to a close. This summer, the newspapers were full of reports on the spectacular total revenue from your anniversary auction – more than 17 million Swiss francs. Given this fact, I scarcely have to ask whether you are satisfied with the company's results in 2010?

Peter Rapp: Yes, extremely satisfied. What is more, the two auctions preceding this one had already resulted in turnover in the same order of magnitude. This time, however, even we were surprised. Surprised by the tremendous response we received from throughout the world, and by the noticeable strength of the market in stamps and coins. After all, the financial climate is not as favorable everywhere as it is in Switzerland. Despite this fact, new asset-rich customers from a variety of countries are always coming forward to invest in stamps and coins.


RS: Clearly, you must have something to offer in order to attract such solvent customers.

Peter Rapp: Naturally. However, we were very well equipped in that regard. Just consider the wonderful «Ticino» Classic Switzerland collection that we had the honor of auctioning this summer. It can be regarded as the best Swiss collection seen on the market for many decades. Studded with numerous rarities, some of which were scarcely known prior to the auction, it really lived up to its promise. The rare opportunity to acquire one or more of these unusual items meant that many interested parties quickly took the decision to become purchasers willing to make large payments. Consequently, the «Ticino» collection alone realised approximately 4.5 million Swiss francs.

Marianne Rapp Ohmann: At the outset, you mentioned the high level of media interest in our auction. Of course, this is also related to the unique «Ticino» collection – and to the fact that this collection was not alone. As well as the «Ticino» heirs, hundreds of other collectors, administrators and communities of heirs entrusted their collections, many of which were outstanding, to us for the very best auction available. It is precisely this aspect that characterizes a «well-rounded» range: you have to be able to offer many different things to many different people. Numerous other objects – the «Neersen Castle» collection, superb collections from the Philippines and Berlin, space-flight topics and important coins – were the subject of heated bidding in the auction and were each sold for several hundred thousand Swiss francs. Moreover, we should certainly not underestimate the fact that Rapp Auctions are more than simply sales events, and indeed we do our utmost to organise our auctions as social events. Our anniversary event was a great experience for all who attended it; a true celebration of philately and numismatics.


RS: But isn’t it difficult, even for a leading company like your own, to source such important stamp or coin collections over and over again?

Peter Rapp: If you sit back and wait for someone to bring you high-value philatelic or numismatic treasures, you won’t have the success you wish for. We maintain close, regular contact with collectors and investors throughout the world. We are always active and on the move, we travel a great deal and are always close to our customers. We are certainly one of the first points of contact worldwide for collectors, investors and communities of heirs, particularly when it is a matter of auctioning truly important collections and ensuring they retain their value. Respectability, trustworthiness and sustainable work with a focus on success are the qualities associated with Rapp Auctions throughout the world. This kind of reputation cannot be gained overnight – in order to build it up, you have not only to work towards that goal over a long period of time, but also very conscientiously. On the other hand, competition is also strong and sometimes you find yourself in only second or third place. You have to be able to live with that – it mustn’t discourage you but should instead act as an extra incentive.


RS: In recent years, you have also placed great signif-icance on the area of numismatics; that is on coins and medals. What position are you aiming to achieve in this field?

Marianne Rapp Ohmann: We are very interested in the market for coins, and not only given the fact that gold prices have been increasing noticeably. Similarly to stamps, coins are also objects of cultural value that should be conserved. They retain their value particularly well and hold great fascination. We are pleased that we have succeeded in attracting two of the world’s leading coin experts, Christian Winterstein and Eckehard Finger, to our company. We have been expanding this sector on an ongoing basis for a number of years now and, in doing so, naturally benefit from our many years of experience and qualifications on the auction market. It is therefore no accident that we are being offered really significant collections of gold and silver coins more and more frequently. We already have spectacular collections of coins, of extremely high value, for next year’s auction. In this respect, we are in a better position than ever and will continue to push ahead in this field.


RS: May I ask a personal question? Peter and Marianne Rapp – a dream team? How do you divide up the responsibilities and what path are you looking to follow?

Marianne Rapp Ohmann: We really complement one another extremely well – precisely because each of us naturally brings his or her own qualifications, speciali-zations and key skills to our partnership. My father’s legendary specialist knowledge, his sense of the ?materials, his business vision and the close relationships with the collectors he has built up over many decades – these aspects constitute the soul of our business and the reason for the high level of customer trust we have enjoyed for decades.

Peter Rapp: However, that is only one aspect. Marianne’s outstanding knowledge and expertise in the field of marketing and coordination is the other. For more than a decade now, she has been responsible for the company’s public image and its ongoing strategic development. We can count on a highly-motivated team of employees in that respect, as well as on certain external experts with whom we have been collaborating for many years now. Everything runs very smoothly.


RS: What marks the Rapp Auction out from other auctions?

Peter Rapp: Firstly, it all comes down to the fact that Peter Rapp AG is entirely family owned. We are not subject to any outside influences, we don’t have to consider anyone else or listen to a managing director based somewhere else in the world. With Rapp, our customers can be completely certain that they are always speaking to someone able to take a decision. That means we are able to act very quickly in the interests of our customers, without unnecessary bureaucracy.

Marianne Rapp Ohmann: In addition, there are other purely practical advantages. Due to the fact that we have been running a successful business for decades, we have access to special financial and organisational resources for public relations work and marketing. Ultimately, these resources benefit every single consignor and pay off for him or her. Furthermore, we don’t want merely to be good, but rather as good as is humanly possible. That is the driving force behind our commitment to ensuring we build good relationships with our customers and provide them all with individual support.


RS: Let’s look at the future. What can we expect from Rapp Auctions in 2011?

Peter Rapp:  Great things. We don’t want to reveal any details yet, but we have rarely been entrusted with so many truly important collections and individual items so far in advance of a Rapp Auction. Consequently, we can once again be certain of attracting a great deal of international attention – and of course, our customers can look forward to a special program of events to accompany the auction. It is clear that the forthcoming auction will once more see an extremely diverse, exciting and high-value range of single items and collections – including some objects that are rarely seen in this form. And that’s the way it should be.


RS: Thank you for this discussion.